B&B Electronics WLNN-EK-DP551 - Product Specification - Manual (Page 26)

B&B Electronics, Inc. Airborne WLNN DP550 Family Databook
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8.3 Host Chassis Mounted Antenna
Host Chassis mounted antennas require no work on the host PCB. They use an
antenna type called ‘flying lead’. There are two types of flying leads. One
provides a bulkhead mounted antenna connector and the other provides a bulk
head mounted antenna. The type you choose will be determined by the
application.
A flying lead system connects a U.FL coaxial lead to the radio’s U.FL connector.
The other end of the coax is attached to either a bulkhead mounted antenna
connector or directly to an antenna that has an integrated bulkhead mount.
In either case, the use of host chassis mounting significantly reduces the antenna
system development effort. It provides for greater flexibility in antenna choice
and placement in the host system chassis.
When using the flying lead antenna (integrated bulk head mounting) there are no
connector choice restrictions for use with the FCC/IOC modular certification.
However if the flying lead connector is used, the same restrictions as identified
for the Host Mounted Antenna apply.
There are many suppliers of flying lead antenna and connectors. B&B ’s Airborne
Antenna product line offers a range of antenna solutions.
8.4 Embedded Antenna
Embedded antennas can be the most interesting approach for M2M, industrial
and medical applications. Their small form factor and the absence of any external
mounting can make them very useful. But they will typically provide lower
performance than an external antenna. This does not make them unusable, but it
will impact the choice of antenna type and it will require more focus on antenna
placement.
The three main embedded antenna types are PCB embedded, chip (PCB
mounted) and flying lead. Each has its advantages and disadvantages (See
Table 17).
Table 17 - Embedded Antenna Options
Antenna Type
Features
Cost Size Availability Performance
PCB Embedded Lowest Largest Custom Poor
Chip Low Small Standard Poor
Flying Lead Low Small Standard Fair
PCB Embedded – This approach embeds an antenna design into the host PCB.
It is very common with add-in Wi-Fi cards (CF, PCMCIA, SDIO, etc.), as it
requires no external connections and has the lowest production cost. But the
lower production costs are offset by significant development costs and
diminished performance and flexibility.
Chip – The integration of a chip antenna is simple, and it requires a relatively
small footprint on the host system. But, like a PCB embedded antenna, there will
be limitations in flexibility and performance.